Mixing-machine



H` LA CASSE.

MIXIN'G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.25`, I9I9.

' Patented Oct. 19

' 2 sums-s H. LA CASSE.

MIXING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man Aue.25,`1s|9.

Patented 0@t.1'9,'1920.

*UNITEDi sTATEs PATENT OFFICE- HENRY LA CASSE, oF Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AssiorNoR 0E ONE-HALE To JOSEPH A. BUTTREss, 0E Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

lllLlIXlNGf-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

Application led August 25, 1919. Serial No. 319,626.

To .all 'whom t may concern.' L

`machines and` particularly to mixing machines adapted "to mix plastic materials. And it is an object of the invention to provide a machine of this character which will completely, thoroughly and consistently mix plastic materials which require specific temperature while being mixed.

The present invention is particularly adapted to mixing plastic materials such as shellac, gums and pastes of various kinds and in particular gums or like materials `which require a specific temperature while being mixed. y

Tn order to completely and properly mix certain materials it is necessary that they be softened or broken down by heat while they are being mixed and itis also desirable to keep certain mixtures of. materials hot while being mixed to prevent them from solidifying or setting too rapidly. The construction and operation of the machine which embodies the present invention is such as to make it possible to easily and efficiently handle such materials or mixtures of materials. The present invention provides a machine in which materials may be evenly and completely heated while being mixed.

Further objects and features of the inven! tion will be best understood from the following detailed description of a preferred form of construction throughout which ref.

in a casing 11. The end shafts 12 of the conveyers 10- are carried in end plate 13 while the end shafts 14 of the conveyers extend through stuffing boxes 15 in end plate 16 and are carried in a frame 17. There are (in this particular embodiment of my invention) six spiral conveyers 10 which are all pitched in the same direction and are arranged in a circle around a stationary centralbar 18 one end of which is carried in end plate 13 while the other end extends through ,end plate 16 and is carried by bracket 17..l Extending from the end plate` 13 there is a casing 20 through which the Aend shafts 12 of the conveyers 10 extend.

The casing 20 is connected to and held in place by an extension 2Oa from the lower portion` of casing 11. rPhe end shafts 12 of the conveyers extend completely across the casing 20 and are carried in'thrust bearings 21 in the end walls of the casing 20. Extending centrally through the casing 2O there is a shaft l22 one end of which is carried in a bearing in the end of the central bar 18 which is carried in the end plate 13, while the other end extends through and is journaled in the outer wall of the casing 20 and has mounted on it a driving pulley 23. Formed on the shaft 22 within the casing 20 there is a long pinion 24 which engages anol` drives gears 25 which are mounted on the shafts 12 of the conveyers 10. It will be noted in the drawings that the faces of the gears 25 are narrower than the face of pinion 24 and that the gears 25 engage various portions of the face of the pinion. The gears 25 are arranged on the end shafts 12 of the conveyers so that the gears 25 on the'end shafts 12 which are diametrically opposite each other engage the same portion of the pinion 24. That is there are three arrangements or pairs of gears 25 as there are three pairs -of shafts 12 located diametrically opposite each other. This arrangement makes a simple and compact arrangement of gears and Shafts to effect a drive between the shaft 22 and the conveyers which causes all the conveyers lto be driven Ain the same direction and at the same time effects a suitable speed reduction between the shaft 22 and the conveyers 10. The

bracket 17 in which the end shafts 14 of the conveyers 10 are carried is mounted on an extension 26 from the lower portion of casing 11. There are bushings 27 in the bracket 17 which take the radial thrust of the end shafts 14 and there are ball thrust bearings 28 which take the end thrust ofthe end shafts 14.

The casing 11 in which the conveyers 10 are carried comprises a stationary base section 30 and side sections 31 which are pivotally connected at 32 to the base section 30 and are clamped together at the top of the casing by means of clamps 33. Each of the sections of the casing 11 has a jacket space 34. The jacket 34 may be supplied with steam or water through pipes 35 which are preferably connected into the lowermost portion of the jackets 34 in order that the jacket 34 may be easily drained. In order to make the casing 11 tight, that is, in order to prevent liquid or moisture from getting into or leaking out of the casing7 packing 36 is provided between the joints of the members 30 and 31 while packing 37 is provided between end plates 13 and 16 and the members 30 and 31. Extending through the top of the casing and at the end of the machine from which the conveyers are driven there is a passage way 40 through which material is fed into the casing. Material entering the casing through the passage way 40 is caught by the conveyers 10 and due to their shape is moved longitudinally through the casing as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 4, toward the end plate 16. The

inner surface of the casing 11 has.longitudinal concave grooves 50 which fit the curvature of the peripheries of the conveyers 10 While the central bar 18 has concave grooves 51 which also lit the curvature of the outer peripheries of 'the conveyers 10 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The number of grooves in -the casing and in the central bar 18 is dependent on the number of spirals or conveyers in the machine. This construction causes the entire space within the casing 11 to be swept by the' conveyers 10. The mixing of the materials as they move through the machine is caused by the meshing or overlapping of the conveyers l0. The conveyers 10 are designed and arranged so that adjacent spirals overlap or mesh in such a manner as to transfer the materials between the conveyers as the materials are carried through the machine.

The meshing portions of adjacent conveyers are moving in opposite directions therebv causing a carrying together or mixing of the materials being carried in the conveyers when the materials reach the points of contact or meshing of the conveyers. The carrymg together or mixing action of the conveyers puts a pressure on the materials which tends to squeeze or push them longimixed and a portion of the mixture is carried around by each conveyer as just described. The combined action of the numerous conveyers, each carrying a lsmall portion of the material, tends to more thoroughly incorporate the different colors and materials. The result of the conveyers on the materials within the casing is a longitudinal movement of the material through the casing combined with circular motion in both directions and inward and outward radial motion. The conveyers 10 are made so that their peripherie-s 10a accurately lit the flights 1()b and the root portions 10c of adjacent conveyers thereby making the meshing action of the conveyers resemble the meshing action of gears. This construction causes wiping of conveyers between spirals or flights by the adjacent conveyers. Due to the mixing 'action of the meshing conveyers and their mixing of the material as it is moving toward the end plate 16 the material is completely mixed by the time it reaches the end plate 16.

A discharge passage 60 is formed in the end plate 16 as shown in Fig. 1 so that the mixture being discharged by the conveyers 10 is discharged from the machine so that it may be easily caught and handled as it leaves the nozzle 61 attached to discharge passage 60.

`Any suitable feeding mechanism may be arranged in connection with the machine for feeding the material into the casing 11. In the preferred form of machine I provide a round casing 65 whichextends upwardly from the casing 11. A double spiral conveyer 66 .having cut flights is provided in the casing 65 for carrying the materials downwardly and also mixing them in the casing 65. The double spiral conveyer 66 is mounted on a hollow shaft 67 which is carried in a block 68 carried in the upper end of the casing 65 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The shaft 67 is driven from shaft 22 by means of a belt 69 which runs over a pulley 70 on shaft 22 and a pulley 71 and shaft 67. Idler pulleys 71 are suitably arranged in connection with the drive.'l so as to cause the belt 69 to properly engage'the pulleys 70 and 71 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Liquids to be mixed in the casing 11 with dry materials or with other liquids7 are preferably fed intov the casing 11 through the hollow shaft.67. The dry materials tov be mixed are preferably fed into the casin 65 by conveyers 72 which extend radially from the casing 65 and are carried in casings 73. It will be readily understood how various numbers of conveyers 72 may be arranged around the casing 65. In the drawings an arrangement is shown in which there are four conveyers 71 in connection with the casing 65. There are preferably vfunnel shaped hoppers 80 in connection with the conveyers 72 -which are adapted to hold the materials which are ,to be mixed. Material placed in a hopper 80 is fed by gravity from the hopper through a tube 8l to the casing 73 where it is caught by conveyer72 and conveyed or carried inwardly to the casin 65 through which it is conveyed as herein efore described to the casing 11. The -inner ends of the conveyers 72 are carried in a bracket 85 through which the shaft 67 extends and which has an annular portion 86 adapted to fit the casing 65 as shown in Fig. l. .The outer ends of the conveyers 72 extend through the end of the casings .73 and have mounted on them pulley wheels 87. The pulleys 87 are driven by means of belts 88 which run over idler pulleys 89 and are driven by a drum 90 which is mounted on the shaft 67. This particular driving arrangement makes it very easy to vary the amount of material to be fed by any of the conveyers 72, as the speeds of the conveyers 72 are dependent upon the size of the pulley wheels 87. When it isdesired to feed a large quantity of one particular material into the machine a comparatively small pulley wheel 87 is mounted on the conveyer 72 which handles that particularl material so as to drive that conveyer comparatively fast and thereby feed the mate' rial into the casing 65 comparatively fast, while if it is desired to feed a comparatively small volume of a particular material into the casing l1 a comparatively large pulley 87 is mounted on the conveyer which handles that material so as to drive that conveyer comparatively slow.

Having described a typical preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to limit kmyself to the details or arrangements hereinabove set forth but wish to reserve to myself any changes ormodifications that k may appear to those skilled in the art or fall within the scopeof the following claims. Having described a preferred form of'my invention, I claim: v l

1. In mixing machinery, the combination of a casingand a central longitudinal member extending therethrough, and a plurality of intermeshing spiral conveyer elements arranged longitudinallyvof the casing and arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal member, the central longitudinal -said vspirals intermeshing with each other,

member being of such shape as to substantially fill the central space un-swept by the spirals.

2. In mixing machinery, the combination` o'f a casing and a central longitudinal member extending therethrough, and a plurality of spiral conveyer elements arranged longitudinally of the casing and arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal member, the interior surface of the casing and the exterior of the central longitudinal member being conformed to the peripheries of the spirals, so -that the spirals sweep all of the space within the casing.

3. In mixing machinery, the combination of a casing and a central longitudinal mem..- ber extending therethrough, and a plurality of spiral conveyer elements arranged longitudinally of the casing and arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal member; said spirals intermeshing and the projecting spiral flange ofeach' spiral occupying and sweeping at any one time, a portion only of the space between ladjacent convolutions of an adjacent spiral.

4. In mixing machinery, the combination of a casing substantially circular in cross section, a plurality of parallel intermeshing material-conveying spirals arranged in said casing parallel to and symmetrically with 95 regard to the longitudinal axis of the casing; and means for rotating said spirals all in the same direction on their own axes.

5. In mixing machinery, the combination of a casing substantially .circular in c ross section, a plurality of longitudinal spirals arranged in said casing symmetrically with regard to the longitudinal axis of the casing, a central longitudinal member extending through the casing and filling the space in the center of the casing not swept by the spirals; and means for rotating said spirals all in` the' same direction on their ing, `a central longitudinal member extending through the casing and filling the space in the center of the casing notswept by the spirals; means-for rotating said spirals all in the same -direction on their own axes,.120 and the interior surface ofthe casing being conformed tothe spirals, so that the spirals sweep over all the space within the casing.-

7. In mixing machinery, the combination of a casing and a central longitudinal memberv extending therethrough, the casing lcomprising a stationary portion and two side portions hinged thereto, and a plurality of spiral conveyer elements arranged longispace Within the casing.

tudnally of the casing and arranged sym- In Witness that I claim the foregoing I metrcally about the longitudinal member, have hereunto subscribed my name this l5 the interior surface of the casing;l and the day of Aug. 1919. exterior of the Central longitudinal member HENRY LA CASSE. being conformed to the peripheries of the Witnesses: l spirals, so that the spirals sweep all of the EMOLYN D. BARAUDER,

VERA J oNs. 

